Baked with Love
by Tela
Summary: Match maker, match maker, make me a mat--hey wait. Stop that. How the heck do I know if he even likes me?
1. Baked With Love

Another short story of mine. It'll probably be just three, maybe four chapters. It's a fluffy one, so beware :3

NOTE: I forgot to mention that this stems from a couple of one shots I wrote for the Oh Porings! forum 2006/2007 christmas collections. Read those or you might be confused. I might add them later...for now, just go to the ffnet author "Oh Porings" to read them.

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**What a Nice Boy**

Sabri sat on a bench by the Alberta docks, watching, as Asira delivered bread to the outgoing fisherman. Asira normally did all the delivery and errands for Lynell. It was sometimes hard to believe he still found her again. She had been so happy that he had spent Christmas with them. It had been the best holiday she'd had in a long time. Surprisingly, the fact that they had only met once before the nine year absence, made little difference in anything.

Now, the snow had melted away and spring was making its way back. She was a little disappointed to see it go, but she looked forward to some mild weather for once.

She waltzed back to him and held out a piece of bread. "Here, try it. This one is really good. The chewy crust on the outside keeps the inside soft a little bit longer. It's good for traveling and stuff. The fisherman think it's great since they're out a few weeks at a time."

He reached out and took the sample and popped it into his mouth. After a few moments, he nodded in approval. "You and Lynell are going to make me fat if you keep using me as a taste tester."

She grinned and poked his stomach. "Oh please, if you haven't gained any weight yet, you're fine. Let's head back to the bakery. I'm done with the deliveries." She made sure to walk a little bit slower than normal so Sabri could keep up with her. She knew he hated when she did that, but she thought it was better than him stuggling to keep up with her.

He stood and fell into step beside her. He didn't like when she made it obvious that he had a lame leg now. However, he was grateful that she did the things she did to make things a little esier for him. He supposed a bruised ego wasn't such a terrible thing.

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She had learned everything about baking that Lynell knew in her time with the woman. Asira did enjoy helping Ren and Lynell run the bakery. Her days began by getting up before the sun rose, taking a brisk walk with Lynell (they had figures to consider you know), and starting the days first batch of breads. Lynell usually worked on the breads and Asira worked on the sweeter things like fruit filled pastries and muffins and the like.

This is what they were doing now. The sun had just risen and the two were hard at work kneading and mixing and chatting away as usual. Lynell, however, seemed to have something on her mind.

"Sabri is a nice young man, isn't he?" she asked as she kneaded a doughy mass on a bed of flour.

Asira looked up from her bowl and nodded. "He is. He's been good to me." _Too good to me sometimes._

"I know he's not your real brother, but how did you two meet? You never really told me. I thought it might have to do with the night that I found you behind my store in Morroc. Does it?"

Asira set her mixing spoon on the counter and wiped her hands on her apron. Thinking about that night was a little less painful now that she knew Sabri had survived, but the memory was still a bad one.

"You probably guessed that I was a thief of sorts. I tried to steal from Sabri one day and he caught me. He didn't punish me though. I hung out with him for a while that day. Later, some guys came to hurt me and Sabri sent me away. He dealt with them and he barely knew me. It's why he has the bad leg and the scars."

She deliberately left out the part that Sabri had once been an assassin. She didn't want Lynell to judge him, even thought she probably wouldn't. Even Asira didn't know the reasons behind him becoming one so it wasn't her place to say anything.

"And you ended up on my doorstep?"

"Yeah...I thought he was going to die. All because of my stupid self," Asira frowned. She still couldn't believe how much of an idiot she had been. Didn't all kids made dumb decisions though?

"Why were those men after you?"

Asira sighed. "There was a man I liked stealing from because he always carried a lot of money and he was such an easy target. I guess he figured out I was doing it because he sent those three guys to catch me. I got away from them a few times and then Sabri took care of them." She really felt horrible that he had been hurt so badly.

Lynell smiled and placed her dough on a baking stone and slid it into the oven. "I think highly of him. I did before, but now I like him even more. That he came back to see you after nine years says something. He cares about you. Even more now that he's gotten to spend time with you."

"Well yeah, he did risk his own neck to save a homeless thief after all," Asira murmured and turned back to her bowl.

Lynell laughed. "I think you know what I mean. I'm just saying that I like him and so does Ren."

On one hand, she couldn't believe that her mother was insinuating that Sabri _liked her,_ liked her. He was quite a bit older than she was so why would he like a nineteen year old like _that_? He'd like a woman closer to his age, wouldn't he?

Or would he?


	2. Just a Taste and You'll Be Hooked

Chapter two and I updated relatively quick, how about that! God, these two...just...I want to go "Aw!" and pinch their cheeks.

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**Just a Taste and You'll Be Hooked**

Sabri plucked a canister of cinnamon from a high shelf in the store and tossed it in the basket hanging from Asira's arm. She smiled gratefully and began scanning the shelves for another spice. She hadn't said much today and it was a little odd. She was normally quite talkative. "Something on your mind, Asira?" 

She looked up again and shrugged. "Not much. I guess."

She didn't look angry or upset, just contemplative. He nodded and followed her around until she checked the final item off her supply list and paid for them. He followed her out of the store, a few steps behind. Her long black braid swung slowly as she walked. When he first saw her that day all those years ago, he hair was cut short, tangled and dirty.

He had a hard time connecting the old Asira with the new by appearance only. Back then she was scrawny and smudged in dirt. Today, she was...erm, well, physically grown up and groomed prettily by Lynell. She was still the same though. Her personality was more mature, but it never changed and he was glad.

"Sabri?" she finally spoke up. They both stopped and she turned to face him.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you become an assassin? You just...you don't fit the mould. I can't picture you doing the things they do."

He thought for a moment. "You remember when I told you about my sister?" She nodded, shifting her basket to her other arm. "I did it for revenge. You know how that tired old story goes. The problem," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and continuing down the street, "Is that I was never suited for that kind of job. You're right to have the opinion you do. When it comes down to it, I couldn't kill anyone. I failed my first job because of that."

"So you've never actually killed anyone?"

He smiled. "No, not a single person. When you met me, I had only just become an assassin. I only had two jobs under my belt. The one I failed, and the one I was currently on." He paused, wondering if he really ought to tell her any more. However, the past was the past, was it not?

She obviously could not help but ask. "What sort of job was it?"

"You see, since I failed my first job, I was demoted. Then I, and three others, were hired to catch and kill a very troublesome thief." Asira's feet suddenly planted themselves in place, refusing to budge anymore. She stared up at him, eyes wide in realization.

"We had some trouble so I figured I would lure her out. It worked and I caught her. So, I led her into the desert and to my little oasis. All I had to do now was kill her...but I couldn't. Pathetic excuse for an assassin, don't you think?"

"You--you were supposed to k-kill me?" she stammered.

"Supposed to, but I didn't. The three I was working with knew I wouldn't so they were actually trying to kill _me_. After me, they'd have gone after you, so I sent you away." After a few minutes of standing in silence, she seemed to make up her mind about something. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "You aren't mad?" he asked. He thought she would be.

"No. You didn't kill me, you _saved_ me. I was right about you and I don't really care about the past now. Just that we're both here, alive and well." Dark eyes looked to him without an accusatory glare. She had forgiven him without a second thought. He actually expected her to be a little bit angry for telling her that she was a target.

"You're right." He leaned down, kissing her softly, hands gently caressing her face. The sound of his cane clattering against the ground seemed distant. When he pulled away, her face was a shade of scarlet he didn't think was possible for a person to turn. Her mouth was slightly agape in what seemed to be shock.

After a moment, she recovered a little. "You...d-dropped...your cane." She picked it up from the ground and held it out to him. "We should, erm, get back. Lynell is, um, probably wondering where I am."

"After you," he grinned. She was undeniably adorable.


End file.
